The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-187

Chapter 187 Aftermath (2)

“…Big Brother?”

A makeup-free face, and silver hair that was still faintly scented with shampoo.

Sinclaire. A commoner with just a name, but a female student who holds the top position in the Hot Department specializing in magic with overwhelming academic achievements.

Instead of answering, Vikir raised one eyebrow.

Considering the place and time, it was a somewhat unexpected encounter.

Why is she here at this time and in this place?

The question was soon answered.

“Big Brother, do you know about this place? It’s a famous spot to look at the stars.”

With a wide smile, Sinclaire handed something to Vikir. It was a small can of beer.

Sinclaire poured the beer and hurriedly took a sip of the foam.

Suddenly, a white beard grew on Sinclaire’s face, and she chuckled as she handed a beer to Vikir as well.

“I had two cans, but you can have one.”

“Thank you.”

After some hesitation, Vikir accepted the beer.

“I had no idea I’d meet you here at this time. I assumed this was a place only I knew about. When I’m feeling down, I come here to gaze at the stars.”

Saying that, Sinclaire suddenly seemed to be in a better mood.

It seemed like something had clicked in her mind.

However, at that moment, Vikir was thinking something completely different.

“…This place is dangerous. I should change the meeting place with CindiWendy from now on.”

A woman who now thinks, ‘Can I meet him more often if I come to this place?’

And a man who thinks, ‘I shouldn’t come to this place again.’

It was quite an ironic situation.

Then, Sinclaire, who had set down the beer can, showed interest in the owl sitting next to Vikir.

“An owl? How cute. Did it bring a letter?”

[Hoo-hoo.]

“Ahahaha, it’s crying in a peculiar way.”

Sinclaire gently stroked the owl’s round head.

Then she turned to Vikir and asked, “Did you get a letter?”

“Yes.”

“To whom?”

“….”

Vikir didn’t know what to call CindiWendy, so he remained silent.

Upon this, Sinclaire’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s a girl, right?”

A greenish ribbon, the same color as CindiWendy’s hair, was attached to the owl’s head.

Since CindiWendy was a girl, Vikir just nodded quietly.

In response, Sinclaire’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Wow, look at this, Big brother is involved in a school romance. Do you think you can maintain your grades while dating? Are you happy? Well, among the freshmen, who doesn’t have a romance fantasies, right…?”

“It’s not like that.”

Vikir cut short Sinclaire’s words.

Sinclaire momentarily paused, as if she were at a loss, but then she sighed as if she suddenly felt relieved.

It was a subtle sigh, as if she were feeling relieved.

“Big Brother, if this is a secret relationship, I’ll be disappointed. We can tell each other about this, right? We’re best friends. Should you tell me in case it’s like that? Seriously!”

…Best friends? Vikir didn’t understand the meaning of the word, but he didn’t bother to ask.

Sinclaire continued to talk about various things on her own after that.

Normally, when she was at school, she wasn’t the type to talk this much, so Vikir was a bit surprised.

Sinclaire, who had already consumed about half of her beer, suddenly seemed to remember something and opened her mouth.

“Oh right. Big Brother, what’s your relationship with the student council president?”

When she referred to the student council president, she meant Dolores.

If she asked about the relationship between him and Dolores, Vikir could confidently answer with one word.

“No relation.”

“Eh, it doesn’t seem like that.”

Sinclaire squinted her eyes and lightly nudged Vikir’s side with her elbow.

“It’s not related at all, but the student council president has been looking for you for the past few days?”

“?”

Vikir’s eyes widened in surprise.

Why is the student council president looking for him?

And lately, there have been too many meetings. The principal, the chairman, the commander, the director, the crown prince, and whatnot… Why are all these ‘Big-Wigs’ looking for me so much? It’s stressing me out.

“…Not to mention that I don’t even have time to study.”

The fact that CindiWendy said it would take about a month for her to analyze the information was considered a blessing in disguise.

Sinclaire shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but the student council president has been looking for you lately.”

“In that case, when she came to the archery ground, was she looking for me?”

“Huh? I saw her, but why didn’t you meet her?”

“…Our paths didn’t cross.”

Vikir, who couldn’t say that he turned into a dog, hid, and then ran away to avoid being neutered, gave a vague answer.

Sinclaire emptied her beer while wiping away the foam from her lips with her thumb.

Phew—

The unique scent of dark beer spread through the night sky.

She leaned against the railing and rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat weary.

“I’m jealous.”

“?”

Vikir just raised an eyebrow, still nodding his head.

Sinclaire smiled with a slight grin as she swept away the foam from her lips.

“You’re always like that.”

“?”

“Not asking first. That’s my style.”

Vikir lightly chuckled at Sinclaire’s words.

Was it because he was born as a hunting dog and raised as a hunting dog that he was not used to questioning someone? Waiting quietly for the owner to speak first. That was the virtue of a hunting dog.

Was he tired of always being approached and talked to first?

Vikir’s attitude seemed different to Sinclaire.

“I said I was jealous… I just said it because I’m envious of you, Big Brother.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We’re in the same year, but the gap is enormous.”

Sinclaire looked at Vikir with a strange look.

Ranked first in written exams, and he had already presented several research papers that would turn the academic world upside down as a first-year undergraduate student. A monstrous archer that far exceeded the level of an ordinary first-year undergraduate.

The level of an ordinary first-year undergraduate might be like this, for example.

-Professor: Today, I’ll lecture on how to eat salmon deliciously.

-1st Year Undergraduate 1: Wow! What’s salmon?

-1st Year Undergraduate 2: Can you eat salmon?

-1st Year Undergraduate 3: What’s a salmon?

And by the time they were about to graduate in the fourth year, they might have changed slightly.

-Professor: Today, I’ll lecture on how to eat salmon deliciously.

-4th Year Undergraduate 1: …

-Professor: …

-4th Year Undergraduate 1: …

-Professor: What are you doing? You didn’t bring the salmon.

The depth of the subjects they were dealing with was in a different dimension for first-year and fourth-year students. But Vikir had already surpassed the level of an undergraduate and a graduate student.

What about practical skills?

Vikir, who had been suspected of not even being a Low-Tier Expert, showed his High-Tier Expert skills.

This was an extraordinary level that was hard to imagine for someone from a commoner background. He was on par with the top students from the seven great clans, or perhaps even surpassing them.

“Written exams, practical skills, you’re a man who intimidates your classmates in many ways, Big Brother.”

“…”

“I heard you’ve been having a lot of meetings with celebrities who are one or two generations above you. Everyone’s jealous.”

But Vikir was well aware.

“…”

Money? Power? Honor? All of those superficial things would become worthless in the era of destruction that was about to begin. When that time comes, all the existing orders will collapse, and all values will be reversed.

As a great author once said, it would soon be the era of “a joke where survival is vulgar.”

“All of these are meaningless.”

Sinclaire looked at Vikir with raised eyebrows once again.

“Sometimes, when I see you, Big Brother, it feels like you’re not of this world.”

Those words made Vikir slightly embarrassed. Sinclaire laughed heartily again.

“I mean sometimes, you sound like an old man. Who would consider you an 18-year-old? So, what do you think? How about escaping this world?”

With a slight twist, the empty beer can crumpled.

Sinclaire placed it in her palm and summoned mana.

Crackle!

A white flame emerged due to the iron attribute mana and transformed the beer can into a new shape.

A rabbit-shaped pocket watch, an intricately crafted metal figurine, appeared in Sinclaire’s palm.

“By the way, have you heard the rumor?”

Sinclaire fiddled with the rabbit figurine as she spoke.

“This time, among the students of the 20th year, a royal has enrolled.”

“They might just be rumors…” Vikir said

“…Hmm, who knows?”

Sinclaire replied with a somewhat puzzled tone.

“If they are royalty, their talents must be extraordinary. After all, they are from the bloodline of the former Emperor, who was a great prophet, so they must be different from their peers, right?”

“…”

“They’ll probably live their life in disguise to hide their abilities, especially not to stand out too much from the beginning of the semester. It’s the only way they can justify hiding their identity. Maybe they’re recruiting talent to be by their side? That’s what I think.”

“…”

“But they can’t hide their skills in an emergency. For example, if their close friends were in danger during an exam.”

“Enough.”

Vikir once again dismissed Sinclaire’s words.

“I am not a royal.”

“…I never said you were a royal..”

“?”

Vikir raised an eyebrow.

Sinclaire just smiled softly. Her demeanor reminded Vikir of something.

‘Come to think of it, Sinclaire, this woman was an enigmatic figure even in the past, wasn’t she?’

Vikir recalled his memories from before the regression.

After graduating from the academy, Sinclaire lost contact with all her peers, juniors, and seniors. She disappeared from the world and history forever.

Before the regression, even HighBro, MiddleBro, and LowBro, who were quite aged, sometimes chatted about her.

“Wonder what Sinclaire is up to by now.”

“That girl who didn’t miss a day as the top student of the Hot Department. She’s probably doing well wherever she is.”

“Where did she come from, and where did she go?”

While reminiscing about her outstanding grades and achievements at the academy.

…While Vikir was lost in various thoughts.

“By the way, Big Brother, what are you planning to do after the midterms are over?”

Sinclaire asked again.

“After the midterms, we get a week of vacation, right? Do you have any plans for that time?”

“I do.”

“What is it?”

“Upper body and lower body exercises, and archery practice.”

“…Besides training and exercise.”

Sinclaire extended her lips with a pout and then continued.

“If you have some free time, why don’t you come over to my house? Let’s have a meal.”

Sinclaire’s invitation was somewhat unexpected. Vikir raised an eyebrow. When he thought about it, Sinclaire had made a similar proposal to him in the past.

It was during their time volunteering at an orphanage. They were collecting donations for a charitable act for parentless children. Sinclaire had asked him if he would contribute.

“Brother. Aren’t you contributing any money?”

“…I don’t have any money.”

He had genuinely had no money at the time. Vikir decided not to accept any support from Baskerville. He wasn’t accepting CindiWendy’s financial support either. It would raise unnecessary suspicions given his commoner disguise. Nevertheless, Sinclaire had given him an odd look back then.

“Money? Why don’t you have any money? You’re a student at the academy. Isn’t that a bit too harsh? These children here don’t have parents, unfortunately. We should help them.”

“Parents, I see no need for such a thing.”

“Huh?”

“After all, the world is something you must overcome with your own strength. The presence of ‘parents’ is only needed in the early stages of life when external help is essential. It becomes unnecessary otherwise.”

Vikir’s perspective hadn’t changed between then and now. Why did the orphans have it so tough? They had everything they needed—essential nutrients, proper education, and a safe environment. They were better off than being raised as hunting dogs in Baskerville. In his view, they led happier and more comfortable lives.

To Vikir, ‘parents’ were just a functional role, and that view was consistent with his life at Baskerville and the ‘Era of Destruction’ he had experienced during his first life.

But those who had and hadn’t experienced war couldn’t understand each other, and Vikir knew that. He didn’t expect anything.

However,

“Got it? You must come.”

Sinclaire was looking at Vikir with a newfound seriousness, far from her usual curious and lively demeanor. Her expression was more weighty and poignant. It was as if she understood and empathized with Vikir.

As before.

“Well then, I have to go to work now!”

Sinclaire placed something on the table in front of Vikir and walked towards the rooftop exit.

Vikir raised his head in amazement.

Sinclaire just waved with a gentle smile. Finally,

…Bang!

The rooftop door closed.

“…”

Vikir turned his head and looked at the object that Sinclaire had left behind.

On it, a small rabbit holding a pocket watch was looking intently at Vikir.